Bottle support



M. FLEIT ET AL June 5, 1956 BOTTLE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 25, 1952 M. FLElT ET AL June 5, 1956 BOTTLE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-She Filed Dec. 23, 1952 INVENToRs Marlin Hei ad oer Given' Q/m ZM fz/ff M TTORNEYS,

BOTTLE SUPPORT Martin Fleit, Washington, D. C., and Robert L. Ginesi, Chevy Chase, Md.

Application December 23, 1952, Serial No. 327,536-

3 Claims. (Cl. 211-74) This invention relates to a means for holding containers and more particularly to a means for holding cosmetic containers in a multitude of positions for the convenience of the user.

The use ofV cosmetics, particularly cosmetic fluids for fingernails, presents a number of problems. Generally, the containers for such cosmetics are small bottles that have applicator type stoppers or caps. The relation of the applicator to the bottle requires that as the liquid level in the bottle becomes 10W it is necessary to tilt the bottle to dip the applicator into the remaining cosmetic fluid. The difliculties of handling one or more small cosmetic bottles having lowlluid levels and the attendant dangers of spillage and soilage are readily apparent when it is considered that the user is handicapped by being unable to fully utilize her hands due to their being the subject of the use.

To overcome these problems and dangers it is an object of this invention to provide a means for holding relatively small cosmetic containers at any desired angular position and thereby leave the user free to concentrate upon the cosmetic operation.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for holding cosmetic containers which can be produced at a low cost and. which will lend itself readily to advertising purposes.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following description When taken in. conjunction with the drawing inwhich:

Figure l is a view inside elevation showing the means of the present invention for holding cosmetic containers;

Figure 2 isl a view in vertical section taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in horizontal section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top pla-n View of an alternative embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 5 is a view insection taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawing, Figure l illustrates the means of the present invention for holding cosmetic containers. There is shown a base member 10 which is circular in cross section in any plane parallel to its undersurface 11. The member is substantially frustoconical with its upper surace 12 parallel to its undersurface 11. Although the base 10 is shown as frusto-conical, other shapes are not precluded. Actually, the base 10 can be any configuration that is characterized by at least one surface that will enable base 10 to rest stably on a ilat surface such as a table. The upper surface 12 of base 10 defines a spherical concavity or recess 13 suitable for receiving a ball-like member 14. Although there is no physical connection between members 10 and 14, yet they are capable of being placed together with the ball-like member 14 executing a universal movement akin to that possible with a mechanism such as a ball and socket. The ball member 14, being received in the conateint ice 2 cavity 13, is, of course, in frictional engagement therewith.

The ball-like member 14 is characterized by an axial bore 15 of circular cross section that extends about. twothirds of the way through the member 14. The bore 15 is slightly enlarged at its open end 16 to present a shoulder 17. A resilient gasket 1S is secured in the enlarged portion of bore 15 and rests upon and is supported by shoulder 17. The gasket 18 is, of course, annular in form.

When using the above described device, a bottle 19, such as an applicator type bottle holding fingernail. polish,I is inserted in the bore 15. The gasket 18l frictionally engages the sides of the bottle' 19 to hold it properly in position. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a bottle 19 having a top cap 21 to which is attached a brush-type applicator 22 and containing a cosmetic iluid 23 is located in bore 15 in the manner above described. Attention is directed to the bottle 19 which is shown as square in cross-section.

The above represents the versatility of the device of the present invention. Even though the bore 15 is circular in cross-section and the gasket 1S is shown as an annulus, the device is capable of holding bottles of square cross-section or other configuration. The gasket 18, being. resilient, can be deformed by a bottle of any configuration and will hold the bottle securely in the bore 15. The same would be true if the bore 15 were square in cross-section instead of circular in cross-section. In thisinstance, the gasket 18 would conform to the shape of the bore 15 and thus would' be square. It would, however, still maintain its annular form. A bore square in cross-section would hold circular bottles as well as squarebottles. The square gasket would engage a bottle cir'- cu-lar in cross-section in at least four points. Other corrfigurations for the bore 15 can be selected; however, it is preferred that the bore 15' be either circular or square in cross-section.

In the event the bottle could be made to snugly it the circular or square bore 15, the gasket 10 could bev dispensed with since the bottle would rest upon the bottom of the bore 15. In this arrangement there would; be no need to enlarge the bore 15 at its opening 16 to formi a shoulder 17 since no gasket would be employed.

The bore 15 extends for about two-thirds of the distance through the ball 14 and is arranged to receive a cosmetic bottle 19 with only a small portion of the bottle extending beyond the opening 16 of the bore 15. The ball 14 with the bottle 19 in place acts the same as if: the balli 1.4 werev solid. Thus, the ball 14 can be placed in any position relative to the base 10 and it will remain in that position. The center of gravity of the composite ball 14 and bottle 19 Will remain substantially constant and, therefore, ball 14 can be placed in any position relative to the base 10 without fear that the ball 14 will change its position. In an ideal condition the bottle 19 full of cosmetic uid when placed in ball 1.4 results in a cornposite structure having. aI center of gravity slightly above the center of curvature of the ball 14. As the contents of the bottle are removed by means of the applicator Z2, the level of the fluid in the bottle falls. After the level of the fluid has fallen to about half of what it was originally, the center of gravity of the composite structure becomes the center of curvature of the ball 14. Thereafter, the ball 14 can be placed in any position relative to the base 10 and it will remain in that positio-n. The frictional engagement between ball 14 and concavity 13 assists in holding ball 14 in any position relative to base 10.

The device of the present invention diers over such devices as ink wells and the like which utilize a spherical bottle cooperating with a base member to hold same. The bottle in such devices contains ink or the like and the movement of the bottle relative to the base causes a shifting of the liquid in the bottle. The shifting of the liquid changes the center of gravity and results in the bottle being retained in its new position. Such a mode of operation would be undesirable in the application of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention pre sents a device which will operate to hold a cosmetic container at the proper angle required by use without shifting of the liquid substantially relative to the ball member 14. This is illustrated in Figure 1 where the dotted lines show the ball 14 being rotated in the base member to about a 45 angle. As shown in the drawings, the amount of angular movement that can occur between the ball 14 and the base 10 is slightly in excess of 180.

The ball 14 and the base 10 can be made from any plastic material which is suitable for this purpose, as for example, polystyrene or a transparent polyacrylate. It is preferred that the base 10 and the ball 14 be transparent as transparency lends itself well to both color and design. Further, by having the ball member 14 transparent it will be possible to see how much of the uid contents of the bottle 19 remain without removing the bottle 19 from the bore 15. Further, by making the ball 14 and base 10 of a plastic material which is transparent, the device will lend itself readily to advertising purposes. If desired, the ball 14 could be made resilient by using a resilient plastic or even rubber, such as sponge rubber. In this instance the gasket member 18 could be eliminated.

Although the bore has been shown and described as extending axially into ball member 14, the bore 15 can be offset from the axis of the ball member 14 and can either extend parallel to the axis of ball member 14 or intersecting with the axis.

If it is desired to use the device with two or more cosmetic containers the ball member can be divided into sections by planes passing through said ball member parallel to its axis. Considering, by way of example, the use of the device with two cosmetic bottles, the ball member 14a is divided by a plane passing through the axis of member 14a thereby producing two hemispherical sections and 31 (see Figures 4 and 5). These sections are each provided with a bore extending into the section substantially parallel to the flat surface 32 of the section. The sections are seated in the concavity 13 of base 10 with each section occupying one half of the concavity. Consequently, when seated, the fiat surfaces of the sections are in contact and extend vertically. The bores open at the top of the sections when they are seated in the base 10. Each section can be moved independently and, when moved, is rotated about the center of curvature of the section in a plane parallel to the fiat surface of the section. The friction between the fiat surfaces of the sections will assist in holding the sections in their rotated positions. To illustrate this type of use, a container holding fingernail polish can be placed in one section and a container holding a remover for the polish placed in the other section. Thus, the device permits the concurrent use of the two cosmetic fluids so that each container can be independently tilted to bring the uids in the containers within easy reach of their applicator tops.

It may be observed that the bottles sold to consumers as refills or originals, separate from the holder, are likely to differ in their overall formation. The use of a resilient gasket is especially advantageous since it permits the consumers who already have the holder to purchase bottles of round, rectangular or similar construction, without the need for more than one holder. Moreover, the manufacturers of cosmetic articles need not alter the existing shape of their bottles to conform them to the present device, since it will operate equally well with existing designs of bottles and whatever future designs that are created.

While this invention has been shown and described in specific embodiments, nevertheless, various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art are within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination comprising a support for holding containers of the type including a cap having mounted therein one end of an applicator the other end of which extends into the container and terminates at a point spaced from the bottom thereof, said support comprising a base member defining a recess of spherical configuration and a ball-like member defining a bore extending into said ball-like member for a distance greater than half the diameter of said ball-like member, said bore having a substantially uniform cross-sectional area over a major portion of its length, and a container of the type described received in said bore, said ball-like member being received in the recess of spherical configuration defined by said base and in frictional engagement therewith with said bore opening upwardly whereby said ball-like member with said container received in said bore can be tilted relative to said base member and remain in its tilted position until further moved.

2. A support as defined in claim 1 wherein said bore is provided with an enlarged portion, a shoulder is formed between said enlarged portion and the remainder of said bore, and a gasket is supported by said shoulder, said gasket frictionally engaging said container received in said bore.

3. A support as defined in claim 1 wherein said ball member is composed of two separate hemispherical parts, each arranged for `independent movement and each part being provided with a bore, and a container received in each said bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 684,451 Mowry Oct. 15, 1901 1,218,663 James Mar. 13, 1917 1,943,804 Rummler Jan. 16, 1934 2,071,276 Barbier Feb, 16, 1937 2,187,974 Johnson Jan. 23, 1940 2,334,191 Gregory Nov. 16, 1943 2,659,920 Bogan Nov. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,661 Denmark of 1948 511,444 Germany of 1930 

